This exotic fruit tastes like pork, and it could save millions from starvation

On the outside, this giant fruit rs just the beginning of the jackfruit’s many wonders.

Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world — one fruit can weigh between 10 and 100 pounds and contain hundreds of seeds that are rich in protein, potassium, calcium, and iron — all of which are important for bodily growth.

This enigmatic fruit is native to South and Southeast Asia; it is rare to find jackfruit in the US. Luckily, Chinatown in Manhattan sells whole, fresh jackfruit.

To get a first-hand look at this leathery, prickly food, Business Insider trekked from the Flatiron district to Chinatown where we spotted a jackfruit being offered by one of the many street vendors. The vendor was selling it for $2.50 per pound.

It is common to purchase freshly sliced jackfruit by the pound, but we were on a mission to learn everything we could about this monster fruit, so we bought the whole, uncut 10 pounds of it.

jackfruitistolethetv on Flickr
Two women in Hong Kong purchase some fleshy lobes of Jackfruit as a man extracts them from the fibrous shell.